With the Formula One season in limbo with as many as nine races cancelled/suspended so far, the sport is staring at a major crisis.
From the huge financial hit due to not racing to sponsorship revenues amid a much wider economic crisis that the world is undergoing, an expensive sport like F1 is facing some tough times.
Recently, McLaren boss Zak Brown indicated that as many as four teams were in danger of folding up if there was no sensible budget caps on what teams could spend.
India’s former F1 driver Karun Chandhok, in a chat with The Hindu, felt that the sport has a big task on its hands, and all stakeholders need to come together to find a solution.
Compressed calendar
While the F1 group is trying to hold as many as 15 to 18 races, Karun said 12 to 13 races might be possible if the season starts in August.
“It will be a big commitment from everyone involved in the sport as it could mean triple headers or intense two day weekends but it’s all do-able.
“I would like to see F1 use the time to experiment with fewer practice sessions and two-day weekends and maybe even trying to do two races on the same weekend.”
On the issue of a cost cap and the warnings from Brown, Karun said, “In light of the current scenario, it seems like most teams are now in favour of a lower budget cap from the currently agreed $175 million.
Stalemate
“However, the big players at Ferrari and Red Bull Racing seem to be opposing that, which has created a bit of a stalemate.
“Where there’s a will there’s a way, but unfortunately, the people associated with F1 are wired in such a way that they often think of themselves before the sport.
“But, at this point, F1 needs strong leaders... it needs Chase Carey, Ross Brawn and Jean Todt to come up with a solution.”